German Studies Minor
The German studies minor in the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures (GSLL) equips students with linguistic, communicative, literary, cultural, and medial competencies necessary to thrive in a diverse networked world. By including a German minor as part of their undergraduate program, Carolina graduates succeed in an endless variety of professional fields.
Courses range from basic and advanced language instruction to research in the cultures of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Electives include applied German courses taught in German as well as themes-, histories- and theories-oriented courses taught in English that introduce students to cultural and historical problems of the German-speaking lands and allow them to explore conceptual thought. The program’s offerings focus on medieval and modern literature, philosophy and cultural theory as well as theater, film, and other media. Praxis-oriented courses include business German, translation studies, and internship courses. Carolina also offers for rising sophomores and beyond an extensive portfolio of study abroad options in German-speaking Europe.
German at Carolina offers a thorough and rigorous education in small seminars where students are able to receive individualized attention from faculty members. German students are closely mentored for a variety of exciting career paths. Some go on to graduate or professional schools such as law or medical school. Others start their professional career in sectors like banking and business, education, government, IT, journalism, law, military or civil service, non-governmental organizations, non-profits, policy think tanks, start-ups, research labs, and more.
Requirements
In addition to the program requirements listed below, students must:
- take at least nine hours of their minor "core" requirements at UNC–Chapel Hill
- earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in the minor core requirements. Some programs may require higher standards for minor or specific courses.
For more information, please consult the degree requirements section of the catalog.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| GERM 204 |  Intermediate German II H | 3 |
| GERM 301 | Advanced Applied German: Life, Work, Fun | 3 |
| GERM 302 | Advanced Communication in German: Media, Arts, Culture | 3 |
| Two electives courses. Students can choose two German-language classes, or two English-language classes, or one German-language and one English-language class from the following options: | 6 | |
C. Histories courses (taught in English) numbered GERM 401 - GERM 492 | ||
D. Theories courses (taught in English) numbered GERM 550 - GERM 589 | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
| H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
- Students must take at least nine hours of their minor "core" requirements at UNC–Chapel Hill.
- Minors who study abroad or wish to transfer credit from another institution may apply to transfer two courses (6 hours) counting toward the minor. Before their departure for a study abroad program, students should consult the director of undergraduate studies about appropriate courses taken abroad for the minor.
- Three German LAC credit hours may be used as a substitute for one three-hour elective course taught in German for the minor.
- Dutch language courses (DTCH 402, DTCH 403, and DTCH 404) may not count toward the German minor. However, DTCH 396 and DTCH 405 may be counted toward the German minor as elective courses taught in the target language (i.e., not in English).
- Students must establish credit for GERM 203 (or GERM 206) as a prerequisite for a German minor.
Students who receive placement credit (PL) or By-Examination credit (BE) for GERM 204 and/or GERM 301 must substitute this credit with coursework (three credit hours each to replace GERM 204 and/or GERM 301) to complete the requirements for the major. The additional coursework must be German-language coursework numbered above the German-language course that students test out of. Students may not re-enroll in a course for which they have received PL or BE credit.
German (GERM) and Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures (GSLL) course descriptions.
Special Opportunities in Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures
Honors in Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures
Students majoring in Germanic and Slavic languages and literatures who are qualified for honors work are strongly encouraged to consider writing an honors thesis during their senior year. Undertaking an honors project gives students the opportunity to explore a topic in depth under the direction of a faculty member. Students who wish to do honors work should confer with the director of undergraduate studies and choose an honors thesis advisor during the first or second semester of their junior year, and complete an honors thesis contract. Second-semester juniors or first-semester seniors will be enrolled in GSLL 691H (honors reading and special studies) for their first semester of honors thesis work, once the honors thesis contract is fully approved. For the second semester, once an updated contract is completed, students will be enrolled in GSLL 692H (writing the honors thesis). When GSLL 693H is offered, the course replaces GSLL 692H and provides an opportunity for students majoring in any of our concentrations to complete their thesis in the context of a small seminar with other honors students. One of these honors courses may count toward the major.
Student Involvement and Cultural Enrichment beyond the Classroom
Numerous social and educational events hosted by the department, as well as by student clubs such as the German Club and Slavic Club, provide an atmosphere for effective learning and for enjoying German and Slavic cultures. There are weekly opportunities in German, Russian, and other languages for informal conversation suitable for both beginning and advanced students. The department periodically sponsors lectures, roundtables, small conferences, and film series for the various languages. Those considering an undergraduate major or minor should request to be added to the appropriate e-mail listserv, in order to ensure they receive information regarding special events and opportunities.
The department also hosts receptions and informational meetings for students interested in pursuing a major or minor, or for those seeking opportunities for internships, study abroad, graduate study, and employment in Germany, Austria, and Eastern or Central Europe. The department also often presents a poetry night with poems recited by learners of various languages, as well as full-length plays and dramatic readings in German performed by undergraduate students.
The German and Slavic clubs, sponsored by the department, encourage students to independently plan cultural events, films, and conversation opportunities.
A number of the above events will be approved for IDEAs in Action CLE credit.
Study Abroad
The department encourages students to study and/or engage in internships abroad. These opportunities maximize students’ linguistic and cultural proficiency, particularly once they have acquired sufficient language skills to benefit most from this immersion experience. Students may participate for a whole year, a single term, or a summer.
The Study Abroad Office offers German programs at all universities in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, as well as a dedicated exchange program with the Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen; at the Freie University in Berlin; at the University of Zürich, Switzerland (new, starting in fall 2024); at the IES European Union and Environmental Programs in Freiburg, Germany; and at the IES Programs in Vienna and Berlin.
Most German programs require that participating students have passed GERM 204 (or its equivalent); however, students with no prior knowledge of German may attend programs at the Freie University in Berlin, the University of Zürich, in Tübingen, or the IES program in Freiburg, or also the Baden-Württemburg exchange at the University of Mannheim offers a number of courses in English. These programs generally include intensive language instruction in addition to content courses taught in English, and most programs offer an orientation course prior to the start of the semester. The yearlong term may begin in August but more commonly in October, with a two-month vacation between semesters that many students use for travel. Students going abroad for only one term generally do so in the spring semester, which typically begins in late February and ends in late July.
The DAAD in conjunction with German universities usually offers some summer internships. Please see an undergraduate advisor in the department office about these opportunities.
Students who choose to study Dutch may study abroad in Amsterdam through the IES, or attend one of SIT Netherlands’ semester or summer programs, for example "Human Traffic, Sex Trade, and Modern Slavery in Europe," or “International Perspective on Sexuality and Gender,” or exchange programs also are offered at Radboud University in Nijmegen, the University of Groningen, and the Erasmus University Rotterdam. Most courses are offered in English but students can study Dutch and even German. Students in economics and/or communication studies may take courses in English at the Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Students can study Russian during summer, semester, or yearlong terms through the RLASP (Advanced Russian Language and Area Studies Program) while earning credit towards their Carolina degree. UNC–Chapel Hill offers semester and summer programs in Prague, Czech Republic, Dobrovnik, Croatia, and Krakow, Poland, and also a semester program in Budapest, Hungary.
For more information about these and other programs in eastern and central Europe, go to the Study Abroad website. Majors and minors should consult with the director of undergraduate studies or the appropriate undergraduate advisor in advance of going abroad about courses they plan to take for the major or minor.
Opportunities specifically for language studies:
- DTCH: SIT Netherlands
- CZCH: NCSU Prague semester or summer programs, API Czech Republic, SIT Czech Republic, CET in Prague, Czech Republic
- BCS: API Croatia, API Serbia, Bosnia, and Kosovo
- PLSH: API Poland
- HUNG: API Hungary
Languages across the Curriculum
The Languages across the Curriculum (LAC) Program encourages majors and minors to enroll in one-credit-hour recitation or discussion sections that are conducted in German or another of our languages, often associated with a variety of courses offered in English on a related subject. Each of these discussion and recitation sections counts as one German language credit (in addition to the credit granted for any associated course).
Undergraduate Awards
Membership in the Beta Rho chapter of Delta Phi Alpha, the German honors society, is available to majors and minors who have completed at least six credit hours of coursework at the 300 level or above, that was conducted in the German language, and who have maintained high cumulative grade point averages and high grade point averages in the major.
The department selects annually one outstanding graduating senior majoring in German to receive the Undergraduate Ria Stambaugh Award for Excellence in German, a monetary award that is presented at the Chancellor’s Awards Ceremony each spring. Ria Stambaugh was a popular professor of German. After her death in 1984 her sister, friends, and colleagues contributed to a memorial fund to establish the Ria Stambaugh Awards. The undergraduate award was first presented in 1987.
Established in 1999, the Paul Debreczeny Prize is awarded each spring to a graduating senior whose work in Slavic languages and literatures has been judged outstanding. This monetary prize honors one of the founding faculty members of the program in Slavic languages and literatures.
Undergraduate Research
In addition to honors thesis work, students are encouraged to work on course-complementary or independent research projects with department faculty. Funding may be available through the Office of Undergraduate Research.
Department Programs
Majors
- Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures Major, B.A.–Central European Studies Concentration
- Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures Major, B.A.–German Studies Concentration
- Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures Major, B.A.–Russian Language and Culture Concentration
- Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures Major, B.A.–Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures Concentration
Minors
Graduate Programs
Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures
426 Dey Hall, CB# 3160
(919) 966-1642
